Storm Ophelia turns sun red over parts of England
The unusual occurrence was seen in the south west of England on Monday morning.
A red sun spotted in the sky over parts of England has been caused by Storm Ophelia.
The unusual occurrence was seen in areas including the midlands and south west on Monday, with a number of people sharing photos and video online of the phenomenon.
Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said the former hurricane is pulling air and dust up from southern Europe and Africa.
“It’s all connected with Ophelia, on the eastern side of the low pressure system air is coming up in the southern direction,” he said.
“Air is being pulled from southern Europe and Africa and that air contains a lot of dust.
“So it’s most likely the appearance of sunset at midday is caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun.
“It’s certainly spectacular at the moment and quite a talking point, we’ve had a lot of calls about it.”
A charity has warned those with severe asthma to check forecasts and stay indoors where possible to avoid the dust.
Sonia Munde, head of the helpline at Asthma UK, said: “We are deeply concerned about the toxic air from Saharan dust that Hurricane Ophelia has churned up, as this could pose a severe risk for the 5.4 million people in the UK who have asthma.
“Winds picking up dust and particles in the air could trigger potentially fatal asthma attacks.”
